THIS IS UNOFFICIAL

Kvapil on pole at Talladega: #28-Travis Kvapil won the Coor's Light Pole for the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway with a speed of 187.354mph for his first pole of 2008 and 1st pole of his career in 100 starts. #5-Mears will start 2nd followed by #8-Almirola, #01-Smith, #15-Menard, #33-MWallace, #78-Nemechek, #70-Raines, #83-Vickers and #1-Truex Jr. Points leader #48-Johnson will start 20th and #88-Earnhardt Jr. who lost and engine and a car Friday will start 15th but have to fall to the rear of the field before the start of the race for the engine change. Only one rookie of the year candidate made the race, #01-Smith.
The Go-or-go homers [non top 35 in owners pts] to make the race: #33-MWalalce, #78-Nemechek, #70-Raines, #00-KWallace, #09-Marlin, #45-TLabonte, #21-Wood and #96-Schrader [8th fastest starts 43rd]. Missing the race are #77-Hornish and #10-Carpentier.(10-4-2008)

Talladega Superspeedway Qualifying Fast Facts:
Travis Kvapil won the Coors Light Pole Award for the AMP Energy 500 with a lap of 51.109 seconds, 187.364 mph.
This is his first pole in 100 Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and first top-10 start in 2008.
This is his first pole in five races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Casey Mears (second) posted his fifth top-10 start of 2008 and his fourth in 12 races at Talladega Superspeedway.
Aric Almirola (third) posted his first top-10 start at Talladega Superspeedway. It is his third in 10 races this season.
Regan Smith (fourth) was the fastest [and only] qualifying rookie.(NASCAR Statistics)(10-4-2008)

Coverage of Qualifying for the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway is scheduled for Saturday, October 4, 2008 at 12:15pm/et.
TV: SPEED - 1:00pm/et - same day coverage NOT LIVE
Watch it Live on the internet at ESPN360
Radio: MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite NASCAR Radio
Qualifying Re-Air: none scheduled

Rookie of the Year Candidates: how fast were they and where do they start:
#00-Michael McDowell, DNR
#01-Regan Smith, 187.181, starts 4th
#10-Patrick Carpentier (X), 185.215, starts DNQ
#77-Sam Hornish (X), 185.258, starts DNQ
X = needs to race their way in to the race
DNR = Did not race
DNQ = Did not qualify for race.

Drivers in RED will be required to qualify on time/speed, not in top 35

Drivers in MAROON will be required to qualify on time/speed, not in top 35BUT has a past champions provisional available if needed, only one is used, so if there are two or more past champs
the driver who has won the championship most recently, gets the spot.

Go or Go Home Drivers to Qualify Together: NASCAR announced in January that starting with the Cup race at California, teams outside the top 35 in owners points will be allowed to qualify together at the end of the qualifying session. The Nationwide and Truck Series used this procedure at Daytona. Sprint Cup didn't use the new procedure at Daytona due to the unique/somewhat complicated qualifying session/races there. The thought is that nobody would have an advantage in track conditions.(2-19-2008)

What happens if qualifying gets rained out?

After the 5th race of the season, the current season OWNERS points are used:
#1) - First 35 by current Owner Points [position 1-35][top 35 teams do NOT need to attempt ALL the races]
#2) - Last Years Cup Champ or the Event Champion if not already in the field
#3) - Car Owners whose team has won in the previous and current season not already in the field
#4) - Drivers who have won in the previous and current season not already in the field
#5) - ALL Past Cup Champions not in by 1 thru 4 [is NOT charged against the 6 past champ provisional's]
#6) - Qualifying Attempts [not starts] with Owners points as the tie breaker
#7) - Qualifying Order Position
(all above apply as long as the team was entered by the entry deadline - usually 7-13 days before the race)

Past Champions Limited To 6 Provisional Berths in Cup: NASCAR announced an update to the past champion’s provisional rule in the Cup Series for 2007. Beginning in 2007, a past champion’s provisional may be used by an eligible driver a maximum of six times over the course of the season. In addition, a team with a past champion eligible driver may only use this provisional a maximum of six times during a season. The provisional gives the eligible driver the 43rd and final starting position in the race field. This is only for a team/driver OUTSIDE the top-35 in owners points, drivers whose team is in the top-35 in owners points, would already be guaranteed in the field and not need the Past Champions Provisional. If qualifying is rained out, a provisional is NOT charged to a driver or a team. See more on my Champions Provisionals Page.